Question: Where are you from?

Answer: I live in Beijing but I often travel to Xi’an.

Question: What is your profession?

Answer: Archaeologist, directors of the Xi’an Research Program and the Han & Tang Research Program of the Archaeology Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Question: What is the issue of most concern to people in your area of China?

Answer: People in the two places care about different things. The people in Xi’an are most concerned about unemployment. The people in Beijing pay much of their attention to environmental preservation, city construction and the protection of cultural relics.

Question: What proposals have you made, or what did you hope to accomplish at this session?

Answer: The Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics is being amended. Some people suggest adding a provision to it to allow the sale of antiques stored in museums. I, together with some other members, have put forward a proposal asking the Law Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Office of Legislative Affairs under the State Council to check their effort.

Question: What have you seen achieved over the last five years?

Answer: The standing of social sciences has been somewhat elevated. And the government as well as common people has begun to realize the importance of the preservation of cultural relics.

Question: When the Conference is not in session, how do you exercise your responsibilities as a CPPCC member?

Answer: I prepare proposals and collect people’s opinions to convey to government at different levels. I don’t lack opportunities to contact people at the grass roots because we hire peasant-workers in Xi’an to do excavations. Of course, during this period of time I’m most interested in the protection of cultural relics.

Question: What is your hope for the future?

Answer: I hope I can continue to serve as a CPPCC National Committee member for the next five years because I am comparatively young among the members. This has been my first term, and I’ve just become to be familiar with the work of a CPPCC National Committee member. I think I can do better if I can serve for one more term.

(by Chen Chao, china.org.cn staff reporter, March 12)